


Triumvirate

by royalflush (kadotoriku)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Movies - Raimi), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Dimension Travel, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Meta, Multiverse, Pre-Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Spider-Verse, no beta we die like men, sorta?, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kadotoriku/pseuds/royalflush
Summary: Post-Blip, Peter just wants to graduate high school without anymore drama. Life seems to be looking up until someone shows up at his and May's apartment, claiming to be a Peter Parker from another dimension.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 75





	Triumvirate

While waiting for their first period, Ned shoves his phone into Peter’s face excitedly. “Dude! Have you seen this? Since when did you get a new suit? This looks like spandex—not like it isn’t badass-looking because it _is_ cool but...”

Peter leans back onto his seat, grabbing the phone to watch the clip playing on Twitter. New suit? The public already know about the Iron Spider, but he _does_ prefer going out in the classic suit Mr. Stark made him. “Huh? What do you...” he trails off, eyes widening as the video rewinds to the beginning.

The video is shakily taken by a civilian’s phone. It shows a dark figure swinging between buildings. Peter’s heart jumps to his throat when the figure gets closer to the camera and under the moon’s revealing light.

That’s... that’s not _him_.

That’s someone else.

 _His_ suit is red and black, with dark web designs stitched onto the tech fabric. This... this entirely different Spider-Man has red and dark blue on theirs. White web lines pop out of their outfit, almost like a comic book character brought to life. Peter freezes when the camera manages to catch the signature _thwip_ noise _his_ web-shooters make. Its soft and just _barely_ caught on, but he recognizes the sound of his very own creation.

“ _LOOKIN’ GOOD, SPIDEY!_ ” the person behind the camera calls out as the Spider-Man flies overhead, then the video cuts to the start once more.

Swiping his thumb downward on the video, Peter reads the tweet attached to the video that has _over a million views_.

**SPIDER-MAN WORLD DOMINATION | charlie  
**@ultspidey

GUYS SPIDEY HAS A NEW SUIT !! I SWEAR IT’S NOT FAKE YOU GOTTA SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT #newspidersuit #lookingoodspidey

Peter scrolls down the comments. Some people are claiming to have seen it too. There are pictures and other blurry videos of this new Spider-Man, all too... too _real_ to be the work of an amateur. He numbly skims through it all, mouth agape and unable to verbalize his confusion.

In the top world trends are _#newspidersuit_ and _#lookingoodspidey_. That wouldn’t be a problem if the Spider-Man caught on video is Peter but they _aren’t_.

He turns to Ned, trying to communicate his explanations and theories, tell his friend that the Spidey there isn’t him, that it might be an impersonator or a person pretending to be Peter. _But how did they replicate my web fluid? And the web-shooters?_ he thinks, _No one else knows the formula besides Mr. Stark and I_.

Was someone _else_ bitten by that radioactive spider?

Before he could get a word out, their History teacher enters the classroom and Peter has to shut his mouth and hand Ned his phone back. He’ll investigate later. Maybe it’s a viral... scam or the creation of a really, _really_ good visual effects artist.

Yeah.

That.

x

Ned is visibly disappointed that this new viral Spider-Man _isn’t_ Peter, but is happy to take up the role of checking if it’s a fake video or if there _is_ another spider-person running around.

The only good thing that seems to come out of this is Flash loudly proclaiming his support for Spider-Man’s ‘new look’. At least he’s talking about someone that _isn’t_ Peter. Gosh, the first few times he gushed about Peter’s alter ego during break, Peter wanted nothing more than for the fancy tiling to open up and swallow him whole.

He hums a random tune to himself, hands shoved into his pockets as he broods over the day and walks the short distance to his apartment. Is the new Spider-Man some sort of byproduct of the Avengers time-traveling? Or another person bitten by _another_ radioactive spider? He’ll bring it up to Ms. Potts and Happy later if they haven’t seen the video, after he does his daily round of patrol.

While he isn’t one to look at a gift horse in the mouth, his spider-sense has been oddly quiet lately. _Weird_.

x

His and Aunt May’s dinner feast of take-out Thai gets interrupted by knocking on their door.

They share a look. “Are you expecting anyone, Peter?”

“No, no one’s texted me,” Peter says and doublechecks his phone. Nothing. No heads-up from anyone. There’s no familiar prickling on his neck whenever danger is near, so he adds, “I think it’s safe.”

“Nothing from your...” Aunt May makes a vague gesture to her neck as she gets up. “...Your Peter tingle?”

“No, nothing from my _spider-sense_ ,” he groans and attempts to correct her. He lowers his fork and turns in his seat to get a view of the doorway, ready to spring into action if need be.

Aunt May peaks through the hole. “It’s a teenager around your age. Maybe a classmate?” At Peter’s noncommittal shrug, she unlocks the door and opens it slightly. One can never be too trusting these days, what with scammers and thieves still prowling on people post-Blip.

“How can I help you?”

“Hi, um, is this where Peter Parker lives?” the stranger asks politely.

At the mention of his name, Peter straightens up and studies the newcomer. Short, flat brown hair and striking gray eyes. His face is long, oval in shape with boyish features. Kinda like the other teenagers at Midtown that are in the awkward state of age ambiguity. He’s wearing a zipped-up black-and-gray jacket and dark, loose pants.

“My name is, ah, Kaine Warren, ma’am. I need to talk to Peter about... a few things.” Kaine’s eyes dart to Peter then down to his own hands by his sides, his ring and middle fingers folding in to make the unmistakable hand sign of Peter’s alter ego. A jolt of shock passes through him, whoever this is _knows_ that he’s Spider-Man, or at least suspects it.

An agent of the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Maybe there’s a mission that needs to be lowkey.

Before Aunt May can pester further about the very vague and, frankly, _highly suspicious_ sounding reason, Peter blurts out, “Let him in, Aunt May.”

She gives him a _look_ , probably on guard and unwilling to repeat being ignorant like the time Mr. Stark came over to bring Spider-Man to Germany. Still, after a few tense seconds, she trusts his judgment enough to open the door fully, inviting Kaine ( _is that even his name?_ ) inside. Peter’s spider-sense remains quiet, which is enough to pacify his concerns for the time being.

“We’ll talk in my room—and, uh, keep the door open in case,” Peter promises, shaking his head slowly to signal for her not to interfere yet. Her safety’s his top priority and this Kaine guy hasn’t set off any alarm bells since he stepped into their humble abode.

 _Maybe he knows something about the second Spider-Man_.

x

Kaine is quiet on the way to Peter’s room, eyes zooming around his home as he shuffles after Peter into his quarters.

Peter’s fingers lock around the area where his web-shooters are concealed, finding a comfort in their familiar weight. This guy clearly doesn’t know that Aunt May knows about Spider-Man—that or, Peter hopes in vain, doesn’t know Peter is Spider-Man at all. It’s a slim chance, but the less people that know who he is, the better.

“Okay, so...”

“Please don’t freak out.” Kaine holds his hands up and Peter automatically shuts his mouth. “I think there’s a multiverse out there. I’m... well, I’m you—Peter Parker, but from another dimension where _I’m_ Spider-Man.”

He’s seen aliens, been to space, participated in a battle on a foreign planet over six glorified holy rocks, _this_ shouldn’t surprise him, but it kinda does. The gears in Peter’s head screech to a halt. “I’m sorry, you’re saying there’s a _multiverse_? I thought that was just theoretical—” He cuts himself off. “Prove it.”

The other teen nods, walking over to the wall and _jumping_ onto it in a way Peter has only seen _himself_ do. Kaine clings on, hands and feet sticking effortlessly onto the cement, and flicks his hand.

A clear shot of webbing shoots out from his wrist, and latches onto Peter’s Black Widow lamp.

Peter gapes shamelessly, mind trying to grip onto the info bomb dropped onto him. “I—you—are you the Spider-Man that was swinging around last night?”

Kaine drops back onto the floor silently, eyebrows raised. “Yesternight? No. I _arrived_ yesterday, though, and knew that I wasn’t in _my_ New York.”

“How did you know?”

“I’m from the 2000’s,” Kaine explains, gesturing to Peter’s computer desk full of tools and tech. “Technology isn’t as advanced as here, and I keep hearing _Avengers this_ , _Defenders that_. I haven’t encountered any of those heroes in the four years I’ve been Spider-Man. I’m sure _I_ would notice if a man came out with a suit _not_ made of iron and started vaporizing his enemies.”

Ignoring the mention of Mr. Stark that sends longing through Peter’s body, he brings out his phone and asks, “So, you aren’t _him_?” He taps on the Twitter video Ned showed him earlier of the other Spider-Man, the phone projecting a hologram of the clip. Kaine watches with interest and Peter pauses when the Spider-Man’s most visible.

He looks at the video, then at his exposed suit, then back at the video. “Not me. It might be another one of, well, _us_. I don’t have my suit on me”

“If Mr. Stark doesn’t—didn’t make the Iron Man suit in your world, then who made yours?” Does Kaine have his own A.I.? Does he know a Ned Leeds? How different are realities from each other? Peter can’t help but wonder in scientific glee.

Kaine gives him a confused look. “I don’t think Tony Stark exits in my world—I made my own suit of scraps and spent a lot of time silk-screening web patterns onto it.” He shakes his head, pointing a thumb to the open door and in the direction of where Aunt May must be worried. “Is that your Aunt May? Does she know about...”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll explain what she needs to know,” Peter reassures, ignoring the horror building up inside of him at his constructed images of a world _without_ a Mr. Stark. Without the iconic genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. Without the savior of the galaxies and half of all _life_ —

“We can save the questions for later. I’m pretty sure having another Spider-Man swinging around is highly suspicious. Find him first, planning and meet-and-greet later.”

Peter makes a noise of agreement, savoring the distraction. “Alright.”

x

“This isn’t my dimension.”

“Yes.” Peter nods.

“And this isn’t _your_ dimension.”

“Uhuh,” Kaine confirms.

“So what happens now that there’s three of us here?” the newly named _Ben Reilly_ runs a hand through his poufy brown hair. His eyes are brown, like Peter’s, and his other hand slips into the pocket of his green jacket.

Peter gazes back and forth between the two other Peters. “I can talk to Happy Hogan—Tony Stark, Iron Man’s bodyguard. Get you two new identities for the meantime. Do you remember how you got transported here? I can try and talk to Dr. Strange, a wizard that can do magic.”

“Magic,” Ben repeats slowly.

“I only remember going to sleep in my apartment, then waking up with a headache in the middle of an _abandoned building_ ,” Kaine says, shuddering.

“Apartment? I live in a house in Forest Hills with my Aunt May.” A thoughtful expression as Ben recalls the events of yesterday. “I was going out on patrol when I took a turn into an alley and walked straight into a bright purple-pink-blue portal. My spider sense didn’t go off in time.”

Peter shoots off a text to Happy, asking to be picked up ASAP and that it’s an emergency. “Okay, well—we’ll try and figure all that out later. If needed, I can probably skip school tomorrow. Ned can cover for me.”

“Ned Leeds? He’s a guy from the Bugle.” Kaine blinks.

“He doesn’t work there.” Peter shakes his head. “You work at the Bugle? Here, it’s an opinionated news site full of slander.”

“Slander is spoken. In print, it’s libel.” The tips of Kaine’s lips twitch upward. “I get paid to take pictures of myself in action.”

“You sold _selfies_ to make a living?” Ben whistles, impressed. “I’ve never met a Ned Leeds, but is there a... Curt Connors in your universes? ‘The Lizard’ ring any bells?”

Peter pauses, having never heard of such a villain. He’s only fought the Vulture and busted a few criminal rings here and there. Hm. “No, but I’ve fought the Vulture? Adrian Toomes? Aaand, I have a sorta-maybe friend named MJ?”

“Fiery actress redhead Mary Jane?” Kaine’s eyes light up with recognition.

“Uh, no. MJ stands for Michelle Jones,” he amends, cheeks flushing slightly. He _may_ have a crush on her. He’s still not sure yet, considering how she can be a bit... off-putting at times. Still, she’s a constant presence in his school life, so there’s that?

“She your girlfriend?”

“No! I mean—no, she’s not,” Peter clears his throat. “What about you, Ben?”

Ben smiles, eyes distant when the two Peters turn to him. “I have a girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. Beautiful, strong woman. Smart. I’m planning on making a memorial library of some sorts for her if I ever get the money.”

“I think I’ve met a Gwen Stacy before, when I had the black suit...” Kaine murmurs, mostly to himself. “Blonde?”

“Yeah.” Ben twiddles with his thumbs. “But she died heroically—I couldn’t... I wasn’t able to save her from falling when I fought my insane best friend, Harry Osborn, in a clocktower.”

“In my world, Harry became the second Green Goblin after his father, he was out for my blood. He came around, though, and helped me defeat an alien symbiote—Venom—and the Sandman before he... passed on,” Kaine admits, scooting closer to comfort Ben.

Peter doesn’t recognize those names _or_ those events, but the wind still gets knocked out of him. Being Spider-Man is... a hard job. He thinks of the ferry, of Mr. Stark, of the few times he didn’t make it in time to a crime scene. “You can’t save everyone,” he says kindly, unsure if Ben would appreciate a hug so he settles with holding his hand and squeezing lightly.

“I know,” Ben says softly as he stares at his hands. “Which is why I try not to let it bring me down. Gwen—Gwen would kick my ass if she saw me moping.”

Kaine smiles, rubbing reassuring circles on Ben’s back. “I... I noticed that the two of you have web-shooters—did you make them?”

“Of course, didn’t you?” Peter asks.

A mischievous glint appears in Kaine’s eyes when he extends his hand with the palm facing upward. Peter can see a small extra patch of skin near where his own web-shooters would rest. It clicks into his mind what they are. _Glands. Spinnerets._

“Your webs are _organic_?” Peter gasps.

“Better than it coming out of his butt,” Ben remarks.

“At least _I_ didn’t sneak into Oscorp to talk to a scientist.” An eyeroll. “How did you _not_ get caught, Ben?”

“It’s my superpower.”

“ _Superpower_?”

“...What's Oscorp?”

“A very, _very_ rich Fortune 500 company. One that can rival Stark Industries of this reality.”

“ _You snuck into a multibillion company_?”

“For good reason!”

**Author's Note:**

> "Kaine Parker" is the name of one of Peter's clones in the comics. I changed it to "Kaine Warren", the surname is from the scientist that did the cloning. "Ben Reilly" is also another clone of Peter's. I supposed it was easier to refer to Maguire!Peter and Garfield!Peter as such instead of calling _all_ of them Peter.
> 
> For now, this is tentatively a one-shot. I've been watching those fanmade edits on YouTube with different the different movie Spideys meeting—so, yeah, I wrote this thing in one sitting. Might come back and add more, especially since I want to poke more fun at their differences HAHAH I may or may not have... **_feelings_** for the MCU iteration of Spidey.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed and if I should continue. Thank you for reading!


End file.
